


Sunshine and Stormy Weather

by Creaky_Kelpie



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Aged-Up Character(s), Bulges and Nooks, Canon-typical language, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Other, Red Romance, Scars, Troll Biology, Troll Romance, Trolls, Trolls on Earth, Xeno, characters listed are the ones that are most prominently involved, rating currently M to keep it on the safe side may go out to E for later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2018-06-01 02:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6498037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creaky_Kelpie/pseuds/Creaky_Kelpie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life seemed to gravitate you towards each other as if to pull you into an intimate dance, like that of the changing weather.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nightclubs and storms, Equius pov.

**Author's Note:**

> Will start off slow but get steamy in later chapters...  
> This is my first fanfic so please be gentle with me~  
> -Creaky

Equius//

You don’t remember how you got wrangled into this but you’re regretting every moment of it. It had begun to storm on the way to the club. Once at the club, the amount of chaotic energy within the establishment inclined you to wonder if it was the source of the turbulent weather outside.

The music was okay. The lights were okay. However, the atmosphere itself was something that you had not been prepared for.

The tension and anxiety of everyone wondering how things were going to be when you arrived, then the culture shock of it when you did. It was simply overwhelming. You could feel the energy of the room just as strongly as the base that hit you. This alone wouldn’t bother you as much. In fact, it was quite nice.

However, everyone was just too close, moving too unpredictably, and there were too many people touching you. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you could practically taste the sex and adrenaline on the air. The surroundings make you hyper aware and concerned about those who you have come here with. Nepeta is getting jittery, the more the adrenaline pumps in her veins from the music. So much so, that you can practically feel it crawling into your own like static beneath the skin. Eridan is so on edge that you’re practically being swept away by the waves of tension and anxiety that wash off of him. Kanaya has already disappeared into the crowd with Rose. From what you can see, despite Dave’s typical façade, you can read from his posture alone that he’s building up the courage to go out and dance. Based on the way that he’s leaning against the wall and shifting on his feet, you’d say he’s about 70% done loading.

A gaggle of obviously inebriated women wander closer to your group on the edge of the dance floor. The pheromone wash hits you like a brick to the face and you stand there precariously holding your drink for another few moments till it becomes very obvious they’re glancing in your direction. You’ve been on this planet for several sweeps now and you are still stunned by how forward humans can be…

You put up with only a few more minutes of them glancing over at you like you’re their next meal before absconding deeper into the safety of your own group. You find yourself standing next to Tavros who seems to be floundering miserably at all of this. Tavros.exe is buffering. Please stand by.

Dave has started speaking to a tall thin young man in obnoxiously bright leggings and Eridan has disappeared onto the dance floor somewhere. In attempts to steady yourself to keep from lashing out at anyone who strays close, you settle down next to Tavros in the booth. He keeps glancing at you, fidgeting with his drink. You sip idly at yours, still nursing it. You honestly don’t trust yourself with alcohol in your system right now, the environment itself being something of a Molotov cocktail ready to explode as it is. The last thing you want is to go on a rampage in such a crowded establishment.

Thinking better of the partially-emptied drink in your hand you get up to go to the bar in order to switch it out for a soda or glass of milk. Unfortunately, the young man in the bright leggings meets you at the bar. He clearly doesn’t share any sense of personal space as he gets far too close, slipping his hands up under your shirt to take hold of your waist. Realizing that he won’t be able to move you, he steps closer, pressing against you in order to ask for a dance. His brazen disregard for the ‘do not touch me’ cues that you have been giving him since he first started speaking to members of your group, was downright appalling.

This was the last straw, you have had enough.

As carefully as you can, you pluck the thin man from around your waist, none too politely dismissing him. Glancing about, you see Nepeta safely in the ranks of Rose and Kanaya, far too deep on the dance floor for you to reach easily. With an exasperated huff, you go back to the booth, wordlessly plucking up your jacket and heading for the door. You just had to get out. The storm outside is a welcomed relief to the chemical bath inside the building.

          ==>


	2. Nightclubs and storms, Tavros pov.

Tavros//  
You have been totally on board with the idea of going to the nightclub. It had been a chance to visit with friends you haven’t seen in quite some time. Sure, not everyone got to go but you had been certain it would be fun anyway. What you didn’t get, however, was why everyone was so nerved up. You were just going to go to a place that had loud music, maybe? And lots of Lights, a few people… not that bad, right? You had been a bit excited for the dancing aspect of it. You like to think you’ve gotten quite used to your robot legs over the sweeps and this was what seemed to be the perfect opportunity.  
When you actually arrived at the club, it seemed that you had walked out of one type of chaos to another.  
It was all a bit too much for you. The music was so loud that your blood pusher seemed to sync up with the base and not in a good way. Half the time you couldn’t see and the other half of the time, when you could, it was nothing but blinding lights in your face. The entire building was far too packed with people and all you wanted to do was get to the sidelines and tuck yourself into some empty corner or leave.  
You had to push the panic welling in your gastric sack down lest you disappoint the others. Luckily, your group had claimed a booth close enough to the entrance but far enough from the bar to be comfortable. This helped but not by much. You sat there alone in the booth while still trying to process everything around you. You had even been afraid to approach the bar to get yourself a drink so Dave had had put himself in charge of drinks. So that’s where you sat for the majority of the experience, looking on in terror as your group changes with the stressful environment. All except -and this doesn’t come as a surprise to you at all given his usual deadpan- for Equius.  
Most of the time, Equius seemed like a distant roll of thunder or a crawl of dark clouds creeping along the horizon, the promise of a coming storm. However, from what you could see while you sat in the booth, it was like he became part of the atmosphere, moving about it with such natural ease. You had been relieved when he retreated deeper into the group and then moved to sit beside you in the booth. It wasn’t until he was sitting beside you that everything else seemed to become a distant roar and your gastric sack finally calmed itself. You wanted to cling to him or at least lean on to him. In the overstimulating swirl of the room his familiar vibe seemed to be the eye of the storm.  
The evening crawled on and the silence between the two of you became awkward. You want to just say something even if it was idle chatter. You have even felt tempted to thank him for sitting down next to you instead of disappearing into the crowd like nearly everyone else, and for helping you anchor your thoughts before they got swept away by the chaos, but the words just wouldn’t come out and before you knew it he was getting up again.  
You watched as he moved to the bar and then watched in shock as Mr. Leggings followed him. People kept moving into your line of vision, blocking them from sight, but the few glimpses that you did manage to catch made your gastric sack twist and burn with anger.  
How dare they do that to Equius! You had been around the troll long enough, due to leg repairs, that you’re certain you know a thing or two about how he operates. And that right there was not okay. If only you had been able to move through the crowd without hitting someone with your horns.  
Admittedly you felt relieved when he pushed Mr. Leggings away and moved back towards the booth. But unfortunately, it was only to grab his coat and head towards the door. You tried to pull yourself out of the booth to follow him but it was very difficult to make your way through the crowd. You wanted to call out to him to wait for you, but you knew your voice wouldn’t be heard over the din of the loud music.  
Finally making it to the door and pushing your way out, you realize that the storm outside had picked up and you shivered against the wind. Quickly, you open the umbrella before stepping out from underneath the awning to look for Equius. He is nowhere in sight.  
You remember Nepeta telling you something about Equius being a hopeless Navigator when it came to the deep city. Hopefully, he hadn’t gotten too far.  
You start up your wrist husk, dialing him, and with a bit of coaxing, you find out that he’s only a block or two away, so you make your way to him. By the time you reach him, you can hear the water sloshing around in the bottom plates of your legs. The umbrella had done nothing to protect your legs and it had been a while since Equius had waterproofed them. Great. Rusty legs on top of the other disappointments of the evening.  
Getting close and lifting the umbrella so that he’s under it as well, you ask, “If you’re leaving, you you mind if I go with you?” He seems to study you for a moment before agreeing.  
This seems right, walking with him like this.  
==>


	3. Chapter 3

Equius//

You had gotten yourself reasonably lost by the time your wrists husk had started to ring. Seeing that it was Tavros, you answered it. Yeah, he told you that he was trying to catch up to you and asked where you were. Oh thank goodness. You knew Tavros was at least half way decent at navigating these streets, so you gave him the names of the two streets you were standing at the crossroads of and a few minutes later, he’d caught up to you. The rain was coming down and you were thoroughly soaked. Still, he lifted the umbrella to encompass you as well. There was that peculiar kindness that Tavros had, showing itself again. He fixes you with those honey-brown calf’s eyes of his, big and trusting. “If you’re leaving, do you mind if I go with you?” he asks and your blood pusher gives a painful squeeze. You consider it for a moment, but lately it has become harder and harder to tell him no, so you agree to let him walk with you. But as the two of you move along the sidewalks, you begin to pick up on the sloshing from his legs. How long has it been since you waterproofed them? You stop in your tracks, still staring at the legs as you contemplate what to do and just how to ask about it. Tavros stops a pace further, a bit surprised by your sudden stop.

“It’s been a good 3 months since I last waterproofed your legs, hasn’t it?” Relief spread across Tavros’ face, at least he knows you well enough to know what you’re getting at… “Yeah”, he replies.

“Is your respite block-… I mean apartment, closer than mine is to our current position?” You ask plainly.

He looks up at the street signs and nods a yes.

“Do you still have that emergency kit I gave you?”

He nods again, “Yes, it was one of the first things I unpacked.” You’re pleased to hear this. He’s become quite responsible over the sweeps. The two of you begin to move again, this time with Tavros’ apartment as the definite destination.

During the walk, Tavros kept drifting closer and closer to you, and more than once, you caught him glancing at you from the corner of your eye. Since when did you stop caring how close he got to you? Through your soaked clothing, you could feel his warmth radiating from beside you, sweet and inviting. You clench your jaw, willing the thought to go no further. Surely it would be a disaster, if your previous relationship with Aradia was anything of a learning experience. If anything, it taught you how you should tread carefully about matters such as quadrancies. The humiliation you still feel about that time in your life haunts you even now. Don’t push for something that isn’t there. Your relationship with Tavros is nothing but a business one, as the one who built and maintained his legs. It would be selfish and naive of you to assume anything more.  
Upon arriving at the apartment building, he leads you to the elevator where are the two of you step in and push the button for the third floor. You haven’t been to his new apartment yet. The small space of the elevator is doing nothing to settle you, as it seems to fill with his scent; rich like sunshine and creamy Maple, with the barest spice of cinnamon. You made a point of staring away from him, at the doors, even as you felt his eyes on you. Finally the doors opened and the two of you step out onto the third-floor landing.

==>


	4. Chapter 4

 

Tavros//  
You know he'd notice and very likely get uncomfortable with how much you're staring, but you just can't help it. The way the street lights and the neon signs painted themselves across his damp skin was just breathtaking like he was some sort of oil painting or some edgy protag from an anime. He surprises you when he stops but the reason why fills you with relief and gets you a little excited. You always loved when he worked on your legs, because you would have his undivided attention and him fussing over you, it was like one of those more tender Medical rom-coms. You've told Aradia about this and she cautioned you about getting involved with Equius; things like 'he's too complicated', 'he doesn't listen to others wishes', his amount of strength being dangerous, and what she stresses the most, is that he is racist towards lowbloods. You don't really care. Nepeta has told you that he's gotten better about a lot of those things. His age and the distance from the crippling expectations of Alternian society have done well for him.

You suppose you've gotten lost in thought, fore the next thing you know, you're entering the apartment building and leading Equius back to the elevators. Once in the elevators, you couldn't help but notice Equius' scent. It clung close to him due to the dampness of his skin and hair. Normally you couldn't get a good read on his scent, as much as you've tried, what with the overpowering ever-present scent of oil and electrical. At least he doesn't sweat as much as he used to. You suppose it was caused by anxiety and he's gotten a lot better since coming to Earth. You know that he took a shower before coming to the club, because right now, in this elevator, if you stood close enough, you could finally smell him clearly. You suppose you only recognize the spices because you've spent so much time with Jane. Equius smells of cloves, nutmeg, licorice and Fresh Cream, and oh, if it doesn't make your nook give a throb of interest.

You're staring up at him for a while before you realize you've been staring at him too long to be considered polite. You're thankful he's looking everywhere but at you. But then you realize he's looking everywhere but at you. Your gastric sac does a bitter drop with anxiety. Did you make him uncomfortable? Did you embarrass yourself? Is he only being polite? As you panic, you become hyper-aware of how his presence fills the elevator like dense cloud cover.

  
When the elevator pulls to your floor, you're very thankful and all but dive out of it. Come on Tavros, calm down. Equius is notorious for being unreadable. It's part of what makes the others think him so creepy. By time you get down the hallway to your apartment, you manage to calm yourself. You unlock your apartment door and usher him through without too much of a hang up.

  
It's not until Equius looks around your apartment that you realize maybe it was a bad idea coming to your apartment as opposed to his. You become quite conscious of how messy the apartment is. There is anime and manga in random piles throughout the apartment, even in the sustenance block. Cards for your newest obsession, Magic the Gathering, were mixed in with your fiduspawn cards and were scattered just as liberally. But thankfully, due to Earth regulation, fiduspawn was now just a card game instead of having the live animal aspect, so at least you didn't have any eggs or hosts laying around, just random puddles of cards here and there. All the same you rush to scoop up the piles and move them away from the sustenance block/dining area and the sitting area.

Thankfully, Equius was polite and didn't say anything about it, simply asking where the kit was. You tell him it's in the hall closet and he sets off in that direction. Once back, he helps you clear off the oak table that you have in your sustenance block/dining area. Knowing the drill, you took off your shorts even though you still get embarrassed by it. Equius lays out the tools and towels on the table and the chair next to it.

You take a deep breath and let it out. Okay, Tavros, here we go.

==>


End file.
